Bible Food on Day 48

Good morning, and this morning is a Sabbath morning, so happy Sabbath to you.  Let's get right into our reading for today.

Ecclesiastes 3

 ¹To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  Solomon outlines that there is a time for everything.  Every philsopher or thinker has read this chapter and used it in some portion of their publications, but it is truth and if all people thought deeply about the time for that which they were to do something, I'm sure 80 percent of crimes would go down.

¹¹He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.  Do you know scientist today can take bone fragments from a skull they find and tell how long ago the skull was there.  That is how God does to leave man evidence of His work so they can find it out.  The biggest piece of science He left for us to know the beginning to the end is the book we are reading right now.

Life is vain, but it is a gift from God to enjoy.  We were not here to die; we chose to die in the garden of Eden, so these 7 days are vanity to us; but we should eat, enjoy our work because God still has given this to us.

¹⁴I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.  Verse 14 is an important scripture.  What God does will be forever, man can't add to it or take it away, all man can do is fear God.  What about His Holy Commandments?  What about man who has died?

 ²⁰All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.  Again Solomon thought about the estate of men, if you put a man and a gorilla side by side the gorilla shouldn't feel that much less than man does.  At the end of both their lives, they will die and return to the dust of the earth.  God is really putting this in front of man, but somehow we are ignoring the fact since we die, the only thing we over animals is sophisticated thinking.  Other than that, we are all in the same gang.

And another thing is for sure, that we do not know where the spirit of a person goes after they die.  No coroner has said, "I saw a smoky substance leave the body and go up or down once he or she died.  However, we have read that the dead know nothing.  If they are smiling down on us, as presumptuously taught, they do not know anything still.  

You would have a smiling family member looking down on you; but does not know you or anything.  I do not want to sound mean and rough, but it is time we start baring the facts when it comes to the word, and looking into those facts and reasoning by them as we would anything else in this world.

Ecclesiastes 4

Solomon was a wise man because he took into consideration lots of things.  He considered the hardship of this life and watched people cry and people oppressed with no comfort and he praised the dead more than those of us who are alive.  Better than both the dead and the living is the one who hasn't been born to witness the evil going on in this earth.

Ecclesiastes 5

When you go to the house of God, or what we call church in our day and age, be ready to listen to the Words of the Bible than to give sacrifice.  Sometimes just showing up to church gives us a sense that we are really doing it big.  We should also not be rash in saying much before God.  As we read and learned in proverbs, a fool is known through a lot of talking.  He could be wise, but get him talking and you will know the color of his undergarment soon enough.

One reason people who have millions chase after billions is because if you love money you will never be satisfied with what you have.  Just like if you love and lust after women, you will not be satisfied with the woman you have.  That is why you must set your mind on God.  A hardworking man who rarely sleeps, when he does the sleep is like eating cotton candy, but those who are chasing money all day long, his chasing will not allow him to get good sleep.

This is why you see many celebrities on sleep aids not because of their busy schedule, but because they are constantly worried about themselves and their money.

Ecclesiastes 6 Solomon called getting rich abundantly, but having no health to really enjoy your riches is an evil disease.  And it is literally horrible to be wealthy and you cannot get out of your bed; or worse than that you cannot get off of your job.  Having kids and not having a proper burial is a wicked thing Solomon said, that means you were evil and living in darkness if no one took the time to bury you properly.

¹²For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?  Without the bible, we could not tell what happens after because no dead person has ever come back and told everyone when you die, God summons you to the clouds and the bad people He burns in the fire.  We've never seen or heard this, all we know about putting the deceased back into the ground.

Ecclesiastes 7

 ¹A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.
 ²It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. We read in proverbs how important a good name is, and the day of death is better than the day of birth.  How?  I think finishing something is better than beginning; but there is more reason for this.  ⁸Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.  On a job, I was usually happier at 5pm than at 9am.  And I'm typically happier when I finish a thing than when I begin it.

It is also better to go to a place where people are mourning and crying than where people are partying; because watching people mourn and fell sorrowful makes us sober up and really think about things.  When you're partying, you're not thinking about anything but feeling good and getting wasted.

Be slow to anger because anger rest in the heart of fools.  Also Solly tells us not to get caught up in thinking the old days were better than the current days.  Are they not all the same?

 ¹⁵All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.  In your richness be happy, but in the days of adversity, take consideration on why you're having the hard times.  There is nothing worse than seeing a man or woman beaten and they don't even consider why they are being beaten.

Verse 15 is a great vanity when you look at it from the surface.  How is it a just man like Jesus can be killed and die young and a wicked man can live a long life?  The just person has fulfilled his or her duty in getting into God's kingdom.  The evil man has not and God give all of us time to turn around and repent.  Sometimes, this is the case.

²⁶And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.  Women do get a bad rap in the bible at times; but Eve our mother started it when she was deceived.  And the punishments placed on women, the multiplied days of sorrow, have taken a hit on women and some women worse than others.  However, through the bible woman can read about it and attempt to control it better.  If you have a woman that is more bitter than death, you should certainly find some knowledge to be able to deal with it. 

One thing Solomon found out in his lifetime is that God made man good, but man has found a way to corrupt himself and everything else in the earth.

Ecclesiastes chapter 8

If you are wise in understanding, Solomon counsels you to do thing; keep God's commandments.  ⁵Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.  All over the bible, when we read it with understanding, it is a positive thing to keep God's commandments.  Not once have we read in these 48 days where it has disregarded the commandments or a negative thing has happened to those who keep it. 

¹¹Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.  This verse is dangerous because what it says is that because the sentence against evil is not executed right away, men tend to think they are not punished and their mind is set on doing more evil.  So you steal, and you don't get caught by man and  you don't feel no immediate punishment from God; and you say to yourself, nothing happened.  You fear of God goes away, and when your fear of God leaves, so the the love of God, which is the keeping of the commandments. 

As it said in Psalms, your path begins to be a slippery one to destruction all because you did not see a punishment for your evil right away.  You didn't notice you lost your job and wife 3 years later for committing adultery against your wife and stealing from your company.  Men don't keep inventory like that and do not consider.

Ecclesiastes 9  There is one event unto all: that they go to the dead.  While alive, their heart is full of evil and rioting; then afterwards, they die and are not.

⁴For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
 ⁵For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.  The dead do not know nothing, and I remember looking at a picture of my grandfather hanging in the house as a child and I thought to myself, I am struggling to live as a child.  

My life style was so far from well, I could have wrote a book with the title, Age 12; I'm Going Through Hell; and I'm thinking grandpa, help me, ask God to help our family, I mean you're in heaven right?  Nope, the dead know nothing.  When you go and talk to someone asleep, their subconscious may pick up what you said and did to them while asleep, but consciously they know nothing.

The same is with people who die.  When you talk to a dead person, God, their subconscious, hears, but they do not hear a thing you said.  It is a painful thing to accept after all these years of confused teaching; but I know it is better the way it is.  Imagine the dead in the concentration camps of the Jewish people who watched and were unable to do anything to help their people.  Other world atrocities that the dead watching down from heaven were disengaged from being able to help.  That is what you call suffering in the after life to watch a daughter get beaten by her abusive husband.

Watch your wife that you protected all your life get raped as she came home from visiting your burial site.  It is better that they sleep and get the rest they've been waiting for until it's time to see you again.

Live your life with your wife or women with your husband and enjoy every bit of it because it will end.   ¹⁰Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.  There are no jobs in the dust of the earth.
¹⁸Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.  You can say this at a party and walk out and get so much praise later on.  Say it to yourself, it sounds so smooth.

Ecclesiastes 10

 ¹Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.
 ²A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.  Here is some science and truth.  A man could do well all his life, then he does something on the foolish end; and guess what everyone has no respect for him.  A little folly is all it takes.  Such as Chris Brown, one foolish night and no matter how cute he was, how great he sang, how peaceful he appears to be on the camera, he is a woman beater and foolish.

In verse two, this is where possibly, we get that lefty's are inferior to right handed people.
¹⁴A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?  No comment. 

Here these words of wisdom:  

The country that has child as a king (someone under age 30 probably is considered a child, certainly under age 20), who eat and party at all times, that country will have troubles down the road.  But the country where the head is the son of wise reputable men and do things in the right times, eating for strength and not drunkenness, that country is blessed.  Laziness brings things to ruin, lose the spirit of laziness and work hard at the thing you love.

The last verse says to curse not the king or rich men, because the bird of the air will carry the voice and things with wings will tell what you said to the person.  When I read this in primary school, I started talking to birds when they landed near me and I would tell them to say hello to a person far away, and I would sometimes get a random call from that person or even an email or so.  The things with wings are the angels who lay up and record everything you say and do.  Then you will wonder how anyone even knew it.  Things with wings.  We'll read about angels and how they look later on.

Ecclesiastes 11

 ²Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.  There probably isn't much verification on this verse; but when you get a thought sometimes it is good from God when your heart is right.  Give your best effort to get into the seventh day and also the eight day, because the evil on the earth we don't know how bad it is or will get.  We should work hard those six days to give our portion to the seven and eight.

 ⁵As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.  If we don't know the works of God, then we really could not interpret His word.  So at best all we can do is read it and believe it, if we have not figured out how a baby gets his bones from the conception, then there are things that are best to let God answer for you through His Word. 

⁹Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
 ¹⁰Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.  If you don't believe this asks a 60 or 70 year old.  Young adults and teenagers alike, be happy while you're young because you're getting older, and all your sins of your youth will be required of you.

Ecclesiastes 12

 ¹Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; Many people get old and when death is nearing, they want to turn to God; but the preacher said remember Him in your younger days.  Do it now that you're reading the bible, perhaps for the first time with understanding, before you go to that long home, the dust.  Before your family goes about mourning in the streets.

⁷Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
 ⁸Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
 ⁹And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
 ¹⁰The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

When you die, that life was vanity, all vanity.  And a wise preacher will stand up and tell the truth, he will teach the people knowledge.  That is know how.  There has been confusion among Christianity for years, and if you previously thought that the dead were in heaven, then your preacher or whomever you learned from was not wise, but confused and did not teach you knowledge.
A preacher from the Lord will teach God's words purely, and take good heed to do so and seek out plenty of proverbs, and acceptable words, that were written, even words of truth.  A preacher is not suppose to add to the words of God or take away, he is suppose to deliver it as is.  As we are reading the bible, that is what the preacher is suppose to do, show it to you to help you clean up your act with God.

¹³Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
 ¹⁴For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.  This is my favorite part of Ecclesiastes and nearly of the entire bible.  We are about to get the conclusion of the whole matter.  Fear God, and keep His commandments, this is the whole duty of man.  This comes from the wisest man on the earth, to fear God and keep His commandments.  This is all you are suppose to do, in the meantime go for that engineering degree, become a great businessman, but in all fear God and keep His commandments.  

Because God will bring all your doings into judgment, all secrets, no matter if they are good or bad.  Take admonishment here!
We'll move into Songs of Songs now.

Song of Solomon 1 ¹The song of songs, which is Solomon's. ³Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

 ⁴Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.  This book is thought to be a love story, I admit, I wrote a few lovely poems for girls in high school with these scriptures.  But let us read it with understanding today.  The Upright love this person, the virgins love him.  It appears to be Solomon since he had all the women in the world.

 ⁵I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.  This has been something that has had my interest since the day I read it.  The writer comments that he is black, as they call a race of people in the Americas, we won't jump to any conclusions; but it should make them feel good to see black in the Bible.

 ⁶Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. 

 
Now this is important, he says, do not look at me because I'm actually physically black, I'm black because the sun has basically fried me and my mom's children were angry with me and made me keepers of other vineyards, but my very own vineyard I have not even kept.

Solomon kept His vineyard when he ruled, Israel as a nation was in it's best state during Solomon's rule.  This means someone is speaking using Solomon, and throughout the entire bible it has been Jesus.  With understanding we will see if this is the case here.

Remember in Psalm 69 when Jesus said He'd been a stranger to His mother's children and an alien to His brothers, speaking of the nation of Israel.  We have not read it yet, however Paul mentions in Roman's chapter 15 verses 1-3 that this was Jesus.  The vineyard or vine that He is not keeping was the nation of Israel, as we read about a vine that He took out of Egypt that wouldn't obey Him so He left them to perish (Psalm 80).

So it was Jesus, not Solomon, who said He hasn't keep His vineyard, it was Jesus who said His mother's children are angry with Him, and it is Jesus who said He was black.  And essentially, this is a love story between Jesus and His people Israel.

Solomon chapter 2

The woman now is waiting on her beloved to come and take her to marriage.  Remember, the beloved is Jesus, the woman is Israel.  This will get interesting.

Song of Solomon 3

Now at night, the woman waited and looked for who her soul loved, which is Jesus, but she couldn't find him.  She got up and went into the streets searching for Him, but could not find Him.  She asked the watchmen, who are preachers and pastors, and asked them.  The people of Israel are looking for Jesus, but they cannot find Him.

Verse four says she found Him, whom she loved, and wouldn't let Him go until He came back to her house.  Let's see if this happened.

Song of Songs chapter 4

This is beautifully written about the woman, she looks good, smells good with quality essential oils on, and she has it going on.

Song of Solomon 5

Now the woman is all spiced up, looking good, smelling good, feeling good, and here comes her beloved, Jesus, knocking on the door and He called her "my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled."

The woman was so excited and nervous when He put His hands to open the door, but suddenly He withdrew Himself and went away.  She called for Him, no answer, and this when she went into the streets to ask the watchmen, they hit her across the face, and took away her marriage veil.  What is this?
We read how Israel did, and God had to scatter them and put them in captivity and their priest and preachers were the cause of it because they did not teach the people, instead of telling them the truth, they told them lies.  So when the Beloved saw her, she looked good and smelled good, but inside she was filthy.

 ⁵I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.
 ⁶I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
 ⁷The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.
 ⁸I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.

And she was sick of love at that point!

Song of Solomon 6

 ¹Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.  Here we see other nations asking about the woman's beloved, asking if they can help her look for Him.  They wanted to know why He left her too.  So other nations want in on Jesus, so they asking her about Him and she at this point has little answers.

¹³Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.  The woman ask her beloved to return, she called Him Shulamite.  And when He returns He will come with two companies of armies.  And we will find out after our 90 days of reading that Jesus, when He returns to the earth, is fittingly coming with two companies of armies.

Song of Solomon 7

 ¹How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.  Here we see the beauty of the woman again, she made the quote earlier that she is her beloved, and He is hers.  Currently, Israel is the only nation that Jesus has known.  The rest are coming soon.

Song of Solomon 8

⁵Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.  Many people do not know how the return of the Lord will take place, so this verse and others like it mean not much to people.  

But since we are reading and reading for understanding, Jesus is first going to go to the wilderness and pretty much process and teach His people Israel before letting them go back in the land, which we know He will return and gather His people who are scattered (Deuteronomy 30 v1-5).

So with this piece of knowledge, we know who is coming from the wilderness leaning on her beloved, which is Jesus.  It is the daughters of Jerusalem, the woman, the church of God.

This time the woman will keep herself clean, meaning she will keep God's commandments because she learned that her beloved say jealousy is a cruel as the graveyard.

This concludes today's reading.  We will continue tomorrow.  Peace and grace.

--
Peace & Grace

Build a Biz Fast

Day 47 Bible Food - the Word of God

Good morning as we read on more wise words from King Solomon or as we call him respectfully in short, king Solly.

We are going to begin this in chapter 21.

Proverbs chapter 21

¹The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
²Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

Verse does not just speak on kings we've had on the earth, it also includes Jesus. And verse two; we will see a man do something as I mention before and he will justify himself or herself in his or her mind; but God will weigh what you really had on your mind to see if the action was justified.

⁹It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house. ¹⁹It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.

Never read this to your wife when she is angry men and brothers. This is a profound truth in my discussion with different men. An angry and argue-some woman is pretty rough to be around; still men must deal with their wives out of knowledge. In other words, you must know how to handle your wife, for the main fact that she is yours.

Also, Solomon had many wives and concubines, he would certainly know and he was the real "international-player" if you want to call it that because he married strange women, that is women for different countries (that later got him in trouble). I guess women are women no matter what country you go to.

¹²The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness.
¹³Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.

Righteous men wisely consider the ways of the wicked and how their out come is. He watches what happens to violent men, to thieves, to adulterers, and he can see that the majority of them have made life more difficult for themselves. They have kids outside the marriage and now child support comes in, sexually transmitted disease, jail time and a record, getting shot and not able to walk anymore, and so many irreversible things happen and the wise consider it and steer clear.

Another thing the wise also consider are the poor. They do not close their ears to the cry of the poor knowing that with the swing of the pendulum, they can become poor and have to cry for help also.

¹⁴A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath. When a man commits adultery against his wife, or he does something else foolishly or forgetful; a gift will pacify the anger, however, the issue still much be addressed. No use in putting a band aid on without stopping the bleeding.

¹⁶The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead. If a one has no understanding of this world and the Word of God, they are considered spiritually dead. We are reading through this book together with understanding. Once the Lord blesses you with the ability to understand knowledge, if you wander from that, you will remain in the congregation of the spiritually dead, and eventually if you are spiritually dead God has no use for you and you'll become physically dead.

¹⁷He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich. This is something I think everyone should know. What do drug addicts initially start using drugs for in general? To escape pain and increase pleasure. They usually end up very poor, so poor they steal to pay for their pleasure, which the world calls addiction. Solomon is giving solid proof in the pudding, we have to recognize this and understand. If the drug user does not clean themselves up they become a poor man or woman.

²³Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles. This is important, because some people cannot shut their mouth. They have to get the last word in a debate or argument, they have to tell their boss a thing or two on their mind, and cannot hold back when someone says something to anger or annoy them. It is wise to work hard on controlling your mouth.

I remember being in the car with a young lady some time back; and she made a 'u-turn' in front of her house to get a parking space. An officer pulled her over right in from of her house and confronted her. He was not going to give her a ticket; but he wanted respect and to warn her. Instead of just saying officer I'm sorry, she went into, I'm right in front of my house, you are being anal, and so on. The officer wasn't even a traffic officer, I believe he was a detective, and he called for back up to have her written up.

I pleaded with her to close her mouth and be humble and apologetic; but she could not and kept rambling until a nice $75 dollar ticket was in her hands. I learned my lesson, even though I already knew not to wise talk police. I learned not to let a woman drive! I know send all letters of complaint to me women.

Proverbs 22

¹A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
²The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.

I read this in high-school, and I worked hard to have a good name. What I noticed is that your reputation will kill you or deliver you. Some teachers just knew I would never get in trouble because my parents were good, my older brother had set a good reputation and I followed that. I saw doors open that would not have if it were not for the good name.

³A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
⁴By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.

I see an argument cooking up, in my house or down the street, I attempt to avoid it at all cost. However, the simple see two gang bangers arguing and the walk right between them to get some liquor from the corner store and when the two bangers pull guns and begin shoot at one another, the simple man is shot as a bystander because he did not use discretion.

I've learned one thing in this world; to be humble. Have humility because man does not control one vital thing in this world. He does not control the elements, cannot stop his aging, cannot stop death, and 97% live paycheck to paycheck or in poverty. They cannot even get riches easily. This is humbling and until you become God you have to stay humble to receive the ability from Him.

⁶Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
⁷The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. The child may veer off the road as they test life for themselves, however, when it is said and done, if you've instilled sound doctrine of qualities, they will not depart from it.

In any society, the rich will rule over the poor and the borrower will be the servant of the lender. That is why in America and slowly over the world, the citizens are becoming servants to the Federal Reserve because they are doing all the lending.

¹⁴The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein. If you get yourself caught up in this strange woman, physically or spiritually (strange woman in the bible is one that pretends to be the wife of the bridegroom Jesus), you are hated by the Lord. Do not get caught up in her or her ways.

Solomon is kind of all over the place with these wise words but he wants us to know these so we can pass it on to someone in need one day. It is not good to get knowledge and understanding and sit on it. Eventually the Lord will send someone your way and you have to be bold enough, yet ready to guide that person.

The chapter ends with powerful words of wisdom that would have kept the United States out of the bad debt they are in currently. If you do not have the money, do not take on the debt. Allowing people to buy cars or homes, even appliances they cannot afford is a mistake. But the greed of the buyer is also at fault. I only buy things when I have the physical cash to purchase, and I do not go into debt to buy anything.

Proverbs 23

¹When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: ²And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

Know who you are before when you are dealing with important people. President Obama invites you to dinner and you come in there and lick the plate, and everyone is looking at you like "not only is this your last invite, but get out now!"

Some people don't get that you have to be all things to all people and some people are loose, while others you have to sit up and fix your neck-tie when you are before them. When Joseph went to meet Pharaoh(and Pharaoh need him), he shaved his beard a tradition for Egyptians, but not Hebrews just to show respect for the Pharaoh. You must curb your behavior to fit well with those you must go before, especially dignitaries.

^{6Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: 7}For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

This was made a book and is a teaching today that as a man thinks in his heart or mind, so is he. I agree. However, in this context it was not for that purpose. Here it is saying be careful in eating and communing with people that are inwardly against you but outwardly acting as your friend.

As a man thinks, so is he. If you think you're poor, you are poor. If you think you're not good enough for the next level of life, financially or spiritually, you are not. Whatever you think, that is the sum total of you. So in essence, thinking better thoughts can change your life and who you are. Wallace D. Waddles, Napoleon Hill, and all the positive thinking men got this from a king in Israel.

¹³Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

¹⁴Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. 

 Do not hold off from correcting your child. If you beat him, he will not die (unless you get down right abusive). Correcting your child verbally or physically will deliver them from hellish situations like county jail or county cemetery.

¹⁷Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

Fear God all day long because there is an end to things in this world. And it would be just horrible if you got enticed by the sinners lifestyle and began to run with them and give up your crown of eternal life.

²³Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. You cannot literally buy the truth with cash, but this example is to stress how vital it is to get it. When you learn this, don't pond it off like a cheap gold watch. Keep it, also see if you can get a buy one, get three free deal, in buying the truth, and getting wisdom, instruction, and understanding all in one purchase.

Reading verse 27 on down gives insight on how giving in to much alcohol can impair your decision making abilities. In the bible there are comparisons of being sober so you can distinguish good and bad. Alcohol will impair the decision to go into the strange woman, physically and spiritually. As we learned in Jacob's case decisions you make when you are drunk is not good enough reason to be exonerated.

The fool get's scum drunk, make mistakes he never even knows about, and I'm sure we've all heard it before, he can't wait to do it again the next day. I laugh when I hear college guys or gals say, "it's Friday, I am getting wasted or hammered tonight." Too much pleasure.

Proverbs 24

¹Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.

²For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief. It can be enticing to run the street. I use to want to do that, run with the village boys or be the head kingpin of a drug cartel. Much goes with these lifestyles, I suggest you learn what one has to do day in and day out before you chase that lifestyle.

Like people see a new born baby and they are drowned with love, joy and compassion and literally want to take the infant home and maybe envious of the parents. However, keep in mind the mother doesn't sleep at night, and the cute baby cries, poops, shouts, and demands care taking all day long. Get the whole picture and not just beauty and glory of a lifestyle.

Proverbs chapter 24

¹²If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

I cannot stress this any more that God created your mind, eyes, and hears. He knows what you think, see, and hear. You cannot hide from God nor hide anything from Him. Whatever you see and do, just know that God sees it too.

¹⁶For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. They made this into a Dwayne Wade commercial; however, it clearly shows that even the just will make mistakes, we are to ask for forgiveness and get back into the game. If you don't, eventually you'll be swept off the court or field.

¹⁷Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

¹⁸Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

I'll never forget when a man died that I was fond of. He was not the typical take him home to meet the family. He was wild, eccentric, but he had a good heart, but his environment kind of messed him up in his youth. He passed away and I was sadden by it along with another friend; and my friends girlfriend said, "praise God". She never met the guy, only heard about him. I couldn't believe it; she couldn't even celebrate in private among sadden people she celebrated.

But it is not good to be happy at any evil; so when you see a clear enemy fall, do not have any feelings towards it because the Lord may ease the hammer on the person or nation.

²¹My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:

Fear the Lord and the King. That is the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ, the king. They are God and God does not change. There is confusion that God changed the law by saying we no longer have to keep the commandments. Here we see that we shouldn't meddle or deal with beings that are given to change. In other words, don't get involved with people who change their mind all the time.

College recruits stay away from universities where their is a coaching change every year. Senator John Kerry didn't get into the white house because of having a flip floppy behavior when it came to making up his mind.

³²Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.

³³Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

³⁴So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

Solomon went by the field of the lazy man and saw the grass was not cut, the fence was broken down, and it was just a mess, and he considered it like any wise man would do and got instruction. Sleep and idleness will promote poverty, and the poverty will come on the lazy person like an armed man.

Proverbs 25

¹These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out. We can see Solomon was credited with these proverbs by Hezekiah. We can see why Hezekiah was a wise and good king in Judah.

⁵Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness. This is why Jesus will have no problems when He reigns, all the wicked will be taken away.

Jesus spoke on six and seven about being humble at great events. Some people like to take the great seats of the great men and are escorted out when a greater man comes in. Be humble and be promoted rather than being a big shot and demoted.

¹⁶Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it. I learned that life is like a sport, it's a game of runs. Things will eventually get old to you and you'll have to learn to renew it. When you have a favorite food, I do not think there is a man in the world who can eat that favorite food every day of his life. By the 30th day he'd be ready to never see that food again.

So eat until you are satisfied. One of the biggest weight-loss secret is to only eat when you are hungry, and eat until you are satisfied. We tend to think we are hungry but we only have an appetite. Then we eat past satisfaction and eat until we are filled. The body was not designed to be a gas guzzler.

I had lemon and strawberry sorbet and I was hooked. In my mind I thought, I'd never be without this, nevertheless, two weeks later I would not even look at it in the aisle at the store and it was not because of the price. It was because I was physically disgusted at it because I had over stayed its welcome.

This leads to the next verse: ¹⁷Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee. Do not over stay your welcome at a friends home, because they will get tired of you and begin not to like some of your ways.

²¹If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: ²²For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee. Don't just be nice to enemies because you want to see them perish, but do it because God said be good to your enemies and let God handle whatever else comes with it.

²⁴It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house. I just wanted to point out that it is written in here again.

Proverbs chapter 26

This chapter points out so many qualities of a fool and the lazy. Upon reading this chapter if you harvest any qualities here, work real hard to remove them.
¹⁶The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. There is no reasoning with a fool or lazy man. No matter what documentation or statistics you show them, they just won't get it.

²⁷Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him. This was one of my favorite verses in high school, and we know it is true from the book of Esther, when Haman attempted to get the gallows to hang Mordecai with and it ended up being used to take his own life. It's a shame, so avoid digging a pit for others to fall in; you may fall in yourself.

Proverbs 27

¹Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
²Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

I use to joke about this until I saw I was not in control of anything. I remember a television program coming on and I told a friend that I will be "glued" to the screen to watch it the next day. "There is nothing that can stop me from watch this show tomorrow," I boasted. Then the day came and I was leaving to come home and there is normally smooth sailing at that hour.

But because of my special boasting, there was a road jam so congested; I missed the entire show. I remembered this verse and never boasted of what I was going to do ever again. If I did boast, be certain it was followed by a very humble, "if God allows me."

Verse two is a humble verse as well. Imagine Tiger Woods coming out and saying I'm the best golfer to ever play the game? I remember a girl telling me how humble she is. I am thinking a humble person never tells you such a thing. Let other people praise you and not you yourself.

I love the wise sayings here; open correction is better than a secret love. Tell someone their dress is ugly than to smile and say you look cute, but in your mind you are horrified at the dress. Tell your buddy his breath smell difficult or that she has spinach in her teeth.

When you're full, the best steak won't entice you nor will it taste good. But when you are legitimately hungry, sink water taste like manna from Heaven.
¹⁵A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. 

 In other words, a contentious or argumentative woman is annoying! Women, and men in some cases, if you are like this your spouse is certainly annoyed if they told you or not. I am telling you now because I'm not married to you. This is behavior you just want to take steps to improve for the health of your marriage and relationship.

In this chapter we are told to be diligent in our business or careers. Keep track of what you have so you can increase where there is need.

Proverbs 28

¹The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. One of the curses Israel had was that they would flee when no man chases them. Because that is what wicked guilty people do. They are scared of everything because they do wrong so much they have to live on the paranoid basis.

⁷Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.
⁹He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination. 

You are a wise son if you keep the law of God, but if turn from the laws of God and think to make a prayer to Him, your prayer is an abomination. As we read in Leviticus 11 of the foods you can and cannot eat. You can't thank God for the camel you're about to consume. That is an abomination.

²¹To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress. God has no respect of persons and we should not either. A bribe or a gift, even simple flattery will make us break God's laws if we favor people. You'll find also that when you correct people and not flatter them, they have more respect for you.

Proverbs 29

¹He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
²When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. 

 These are easy scriptures to understand, in verse one, a man who is always corrected and he always ignores the correction, sooner or later he will be destroyed and there will be no fixing on what he is being destroyed with.
Also in America, George W. Bush was in authority and the country mourned for 8 years, now America has Barack H. Obama; and the people are rejoicing. No one is sure that he is righteous; but it shows Bush was not that favored because the cheers for Obama is more than any other incoming President ever.

¹¹A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. Have you ever said or told someone you're going to give them a piece of your mind? Or said I gave him or her a piece of my mind! You really gave them all of it, if you spake in anger, and verse 11 called that foolish. Be wise and not foolish. ²⁰Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
¹⁸Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. 

 This is quoted in motivational books, and in business opportunities a great deal, but never the entire verse. People do perish where there is no vision, but those that keep GOD's laws are always happy. God's laws will always provide vision and thus you cannot perish. The chapter ends with the saying we should not fear man as that is bad and will be a snare to us. Instead, we should trust in our God.

Proverbs 30

¹The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
⁴Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?
⁵Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
⁶Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

This leaves Solomon's credit and goes into Agur, probably a wise man in Solomon's counsel. He humbled himself saying he did not have wisdom, knowledge, or understanding. However, he asked some pretty good questions for a man who lacked the three.

Who has gone to heaven, and who has come down from heaven? Who gathers the wind in his fists? Who puts waters in his cloths and his cloths can hold it? Who made the ends of the earth? What is His name (that's one), and what is His son's name (that's two). Here is Father and Son, Jesus Christ, in Proverbs the Old Testament. This Agur guy was pretty sharp.

He follows this up with every word of God is pure that man should not try to change them, unless he runs into people like me and you (reading) who read the bible with understanding and we find them to be confused and liars.
This is good advice in any subject. Don't pretend to know something because you may just meet your challenge.

Agur requested from God to be given just enough, so that He doesn't become vain. If he gets too rich he may forget God. If he is too poor he may disobey God's commandments in order to eat. Satisfied is what we all should look for.
This chapter finishes with things that amazes Agur, like the flight of an eagle. God is truly amazing in all His works.

Proverbs 31

¹The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

This is the famous chapter that is written to help women learn more about being virtuous. We will see that it is more than house wife type stuff. Lemuel was a king but not of Israel, probably of a city in Judah, so more like a mayor.
His mother taught him these, that it is not good to be drinking, you may forget the law in your drunkenness. 

¹⁰Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
¹¹The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
¹²She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
¹⁶She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

Real estate. So women were conducting business back then because a virtuous woman considers a field or land and buys it with the money she's made working with her hands, not her body.

¹⁸She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She works hard day and night and has her business going on.

²³Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
²⁴She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. 

 She is elite, and thus she can marry a successful man and help him. If she was left to take care of her, she can do it because she goes to the merchants to sell. She is diligent about her business.

She just don't wear Prada or Rocawear, she wears strength and honor, she speaks with wisdom and kindness, and probably has the pretty smile going and isn't concerned about guys hitting on her just because she smiled at them because her smile doesn't portray flirting but it wears the I'm a happy nice person having a great day, on her face, which is not to be confused.

She works hard in her home too, making sure things are taken cared of and she does not have idle hands. Her children call her blessed and not just on Mother's Day, also her husband gives her praise.

²⁹Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

Getting favor she knows is deceitful and that outward beauty is vain because we all will get old, and the beauty begins to fade a bit. When young brothers start to say, "I bet in her day she was gorgeous!"

The real beauty in women and men is that they have the fear of God, this is when I praise a woman's beauty when she fears God. Her works and behavior will praise her. That is your virtuous woman and that is the book of Proverbs. We are going to go into Ecclesiastes to finish up today's reading.

Ecclesiastes 1

¹The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

²Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

³What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

⁴One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

To sum up the book of Ecclesiastes, it is a book written by the wisest man to live, shares that all things are vanity, life is vain because there is no profit in life because generation pass on to generation, but the earth remains always.
I read this when I was younger and nearly dropped out of school because it made me think everything was and is pointless. As I came to understand it better, I learned that everything in life is indeed vain if you can't enjoy it forever.

In other words, you will live, do a lot of great amount of works, sum up a good amount of riches, find a beautiful wife, then die suddenly. I just can't imagine how vain that is. We're essentially living to die; thus there really is no profit beside have as much fun until it comes.

Also, ⁹The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. There is nothing new under the sun. The new catch phrase you just came up with, is not new at all.

¹²I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. This identifies the author, it was the son of David, who was also the king of Jerusalem.

¹⁶I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. Solomon talked with himself, you see that is not all that crazy, and he talk about all his success in life, in wisdom and knowledge, but found that much knowledge brings much grief. The more you know the more you know is completely backwards and that eventually you'll be put in the graveyard. All that greatness will be buried in the dust of ground and everyone knows this that comes into knowledge.

Ecclesiastes 2

Solomon amassed a great amount of money, probably like the William Gates III in his day, but where is Solomon today? Solomon list out his great accomplishments and he concluded that it was for nothing.

¹¹Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

We read how his son Rehoboam foolishly divided the kingdom by listening to his peers. Other offspring of Solomon completely left God and we read how Jerusalem was torn to the ground, and all that hard work that Solomon put in building the Temple of the Lord, the palace of the king, and the cities, all went for nothing. It was in vain.

¹⁵Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity. Death happens to the fool and the wise, to the evil and to the good. This is good enough reason to hate this life, because you can go to a four year college, then further your education, make great money, then a no life drunk driver can hit you and kill you. Vain.

¹⁷Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

¹⁸Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

¹⁹And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

You will die and not know anything as you rest waiting for the Judgement; and while you sleep you never know what your son or daughter will do with all your financial trappings you amassed during your life time.

²⁴There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

²⁶For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

So with all this vanity in this life, there is nothing better to do than to make the best of it. Man should eat, drink, and enjoy his life because it comes from God. God gives us our wisdom, knowledge, and joy so we're to enjoy life until we die or the Lord comes. So far, it is not wise to put too much stock in this life, if it is vain. We need to be putting our stock in the life to come, which is forever.


We are finished for today, enjoy the day and we'll be back at it tomorrow.


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